March 20, 2014

WHO: MERS update, March 20

On 18 March 2014, WHO was notified of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). One case was notified by the National IHR Focal Point of Kuwait and the other by the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Details of the case notified from Kuwait are as follows:

A 60 year-old Syrian national who was admitted to a hospital in Kuwait on 13 February and died on 6 March. He had underlying health conditions. The patient was confirmed with MERS-CoV on 9 March. All close contacts of the patients are being followed up.

Details of the case notified from the UAE are as follows:

A 68 year-old man from Abu Dhabi with underlying health conditions. He became ill on 7 March, was admitted to a hospital on 11 March with injury to his finger. He has mild symptoms. The patient was laboratory-confirmed with MERS-CoV on 17 March. The patient returned from Saudi Arabia five days prior to his admission in the hospital. He frequently visits Saudi Arabia where he owns a camel farm. Public health authorities are carrying out contact tracing and epidemiological investigations.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 198 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 84 deaths.

That sounds like a 42% case fatality rate.

Cases in Kuwait have been confusingly reported, as in this March 10 story from Seifnews, which I now see was about the Syrian expatriate. Kuwait reported its first two MERS cases in November 2013.

Comments

On 18 March 2014, WHO was notified of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). One case was notified by the National IHR Focal Point of Kuwait and the other by the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Details of the case notified from Kuwait are as follows:

A 60 year-old Syrian national who was admitted to a hospital in Kuwait on 13 February and died on 6 March. He had underlying health conditions. The patient was confirmed with MERS-CoV on 9 March. All close contacts of the patients are being followed up.

Details of the case notified from the UAE are as follows:

A 68 year-old man from Abu Dhabi with underlying health conditions. He became ill on 7 March, was admitted to a hospital on 11 March with injury to his finger. He has mild symptoms. The patient was laboratory-confirmed with MERS-CoV on 17 March. The patient returned from Saudi Arabia five days prior to his admission in the hospital. He frequently visits Saudi Arabia where he owns a camel farm. Public health authorities are carrying out contact tracing and epidemiological investigations.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 198 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 84 deaths.

That sounds like a 42% case fatality rate.

Cases in Kuwait have been confusingly reported, as in this March 10 story from Seifnews, which I now see was about the Syrian expatriate. Kuwait reported its first two MERS cases in November 2013.